Key Takeaways
- You don’t need a full-day workshop to spot the holes in your marketing — 30 minutes is enough.
- This simple checklist helps identify underperforming areas quickly across SEO, ads, website, and conversion.
- Great for business owners, marketing managers, or anyone preparing for a Digital Presence Optimisation (DPO) session.
- Fixing just one or two of these areas can significantly increase your ROI.
- Use this audit regularly to stay on track.
Why Do a Marketing Audit?
Most businesses are sitting on untapped growth, not because they’re doing the wrong things, but because they’re not fixing what’s broken.
A 30-minute audit is the fastest way to identify where your marketing is underperforming. It’s not about diving into spreadsheets or analytics dashboards (yet). It’s about asking the right questions and getting clear answers.
The 30-Minute Marketing Audit Checklist
Set a timer. Grab a coffee. Let’s go.
1. Strategy & Positioning
❏ Do we have a clear value proposition?
❏ Can we explain what makes us different in under 10 seconds?
❏ Are we targeting the right audience with the right message?
❏ Do we know our ideal customer journey?
If not, you’re probably throwing money at tactics without a plan.
Related: What Makes a Marketing Campaign Actually Work?
2. Website & Conversion
❏ Is our website mobile-friendly and fast?
❏ Is it clear what action we want visitors to take?
❏ Do we have visible CTAs on every key page?
❏ Are we tracking form submissions, phone calls, or other enquiries?
If your website doesn’t convert, traffic is wasted.
Related: You Don’t Need More Traffic — You Need a Better Conversion Strategy
3. SEO & Content
❏ Are we ranking on Google for our top 5 services or products?
❏ Do we have a Google Business Profile that’s active and optimised?
❏ Are we publishing helpful content (blogs, guides, FAQs) at least monthly?
❏ Is our website technically sound (no broken links, crawl errors, etc.)?
If you’re invisible on search, you’re missing ready-to-buy leads.
Related: SEO Audit Checklist for Businesses
4. Paid Ads (Google Ads / Meta Ads)
❏ Are we running paid ads? If so, do we know the cost per lead?
❏ Are we targeting the right locations, search terms, and audience segments?
❏ Are we using landing pages that match the ad intent?
❏ Do we pause or optimise poor-performing campaigns regularly?
Ad spend with no optimisation is the fastest way to burn your budget.
Related: Client Math — How to Calculate CPL & ROI on Google Ads
5. Follow-Up & Sales
❏ Do we have a system for quickly responding to enquiries?
❏ Are leads nurtured (via email, SMS, retargeting, etc.)?
❏ Can we track what marketing source led to each sale?
❏ Do we review and refine our sales process regularly?
Your marketing is only as good as your follow-up.
Related: The Funnel Fix — Why Your Marketing Fails Without a Sales Process
Bonus: The Gut Check
Ask yourself:
If I were my ideal customer, would I be impressed by what I see online — or confused and underwhelmed?
If the answer isn’t a strong yes, there’s work to do.
What to Do With Your Audit Results
You don’t need to fix everything at once. But fixing the biggest weakness will often create the biggest growth.
Not sure what that is? That’s where we come in.
Book Your Marketing Optimisation Session
Sticky Digital specialises in helping businesses turn underperforming marketing into high-performing growth engines. Our Marketing Optimisation Sessions uncover hidden gaps, missed opportunities, and the smartest path forward…in plain English.
Ready to stop guessing and start growing?
Book your consult session with me today.
